It Takes a Village
by livin-la-vida-loki-d
Summary: They say it takes a village to raise a child - Thorin and Dis have to go away on official dwarf business and Balin and Dwalin are charged with Fili and Kili's care while they are gone. Enjoy!


******Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are the property of their creators, nor am I seeking to make a profit from this.**

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Dwalin reminded himself, for the hundredth time that night to breathe. They're only dwarflings, he can handle them! Right?

Dis and Thorin had been forced to go visit the Iron Hills to attend a meeting held by Dain. Dis had been very close to not going, but Thorin had convinced her that as the daughter of Thrain, and granddaughter of Thror she had a right and a duty to be there with him. She relented, but she had been hard pressed to find someone trustworthy to watch the boys, neither yet out of their twenties. They had earned the reputation of being absolute terrors already in their young lives and any they asked to be their caregivers for the fortnight they estimated they would be away refused. No one had enough time or patience to give Fili and Kili their full attention for two weeks.

Finally, and after much persuading, Balin and Dwalin, Thorin's best and most trusted friends agreed to watch his nephews.

That was one week ago.

At first he had no trouble. The boys were excited to have Mister Dwalin and Mister Balin staying with them – as the brothers alternated days off from the forge to stay with Fili and Kili.

Saturday, five days after Dis and Thorin's departure, Dwalin was asleep on the armchair before the fire – having fallen asleep there mid-pipe. He couldn't remember ever falling asleep in the middle of smoking his evening pipe before, but a week of alternating between the forge and watching the two rambunctious dwarflings had him more exhausted than usual.

He looked out the small window beside the large fireplace and saw it was still dark outside. He sat up straighter and stretched, smiling at the satisfying crack of his spine after sleeping for several hours in a strange position.

Suddenly there was a tap at his knee. Dwalin looked down to see Kili, one hand holding Dwalin's pipe, and the other rubbing his eye. "You dropped this Mr Dwalin," he mumbled, tapping the pipe on Dwalin's knee again.

"Well thank you, Mr Kili. And why are you awake?" Dwalin took the pipe from the small dwarf's hand, and instead of replying to Dwalin's question Kili simply climbed onto Dwalin's lap. He almost fell backward, and Dwalin's hand shot out and grabbed Kili to pull him off his knee and onto his lap. He curled up and nestled himself into Dwalin's warm winter shirt. Dwalin sat there, confusion playing across his face. He didn't know what to do – before the boys were born and Thorin introduced Dwalin and his brother to them, Dwalin had not had _any_ experience with dwarflings, not since he himself was still one.

Soon he heard a tiny snoring sound coming from his chest, and he looked down to see Kili once more asleep, his face slack against Dwalin's chest, one hand curled against himself and the other resting where it fell from Dwalin's shirt. His legs were pulled up against his chest – Dwalin marveled at how small he was. Soon enough he drifted back to sleep himself.

When he awoke it was light out, and there was twice the amount of baby dwarf in his lap as there was when he fell asleep. He must have been so deeply asleep that he didn't feel Fili climb up onto his leg next to his brother. They were quietly playing with two carved figurines that Thorin had given them on their last birthdays.

He didn't move, not wanting to disturb their play, for several more minutes until Nature's call grew too strong for him to ignore. He moved fast, grabbing both with a roar – and it had its intended effect as both boys screamed in surprise.

"Mr Dwalin you scared us!" Kili squealed.

"I wasn't scared!" Fili retaliated, crossing his short arms, his eyes narrowed as if he dared his brother to challenge him.

Kili took the bait, however, and yelled, "Yes you were!" Fili lunged for his brother and soon enough Dwalin had an all out dwarfling brawl on his lap – and his bladder.

"Okay, boys, that's enough." He stood with one dwarf in each arm and turned to set them back down. "I'll be right back."

When he finished his business he came out to the sitting room and saw that the boys had moved to the floor and were waging war between their wooden figures – they had been collecting different ones throughout their short lives so far. This war was between their valiant dwarves and their – admittedly orc-like – elves.

"Who's winning?" he asked squatting down on the edge of the battlefield.

"The dwarrow, of course!" Fili yelled, sweeping his arm across the battlefield, knocking over the remaining "elves". Both stood and cheered at their victory.

"So what do you boys want to do today?"

"I don't know," they said together, continuing their game.

"Well, we can stay here, or we can go out into town?"

"Yeah!" Fili said, perking up at the prospect of going into the market, and of course when Fili expressed interest in something Kili immediately latched on.

"The market!" he agreed.

"Then let us get dressed," Dwalin said, standing back up as the boys abandoned their toys and dashed into their shared room.

A half hour later they were walking down the road through the dwarves' village towards the market, situated between the dwarven village and the human town a few miles away. Spring arrived a few weeks past, and the summer market had opened the previous week.

Dwalin knew from previous years that the boys loved going to the market marveling at all of the different vendors' carts and simply looking at their wares, even if their mother or uncle didn't buy them anything.

Dwalin knew they were going to be a handful, but they were surprisingly well behaved. They ran around, bundled up in their coats, for it was still cold this early in spring, for several hours. Balin had left them a note on the table that morning with one of his "famous weather predictions", but Dwalin usually paid them no mind. This day, however, he listened, because he didn't want the boys caught in the rain, so he had them bundle up. He hoped he wouldn't have to cut their day short, however, because they were ecstatic.

They were drawn to a vendor's cart that sold jewelry, and Fili had found a sapphire necklace that he insisted Dis would love, and Dwalin remembered it would be her name day soon.

"How much for this necklace?" Dwalin asked the man who ran the cart. He tried to make himself sound every bit the gruff warrior dwarf he looked with his mohawk and numerous tattoos. The man's face whitened a bit and Dwalin smiled inside. _I've still got it._

"It's a beautiful piece, my friend, worth a lot!" the man started, and Dwalin's eyes narrowed a fraction. Both boys strained to see over the top of the cart. "But for you and your sons it is twenty gold pieces." Dwalin raised an eyebrow, but didn't correct the man's assumption that Fili and Kili were his sons. He considered the price, looking down at the boys' eager faces.

"For their mother I will pay twenty." The man put the necklace into a box as Dwalin fished out the coins.

"Can I hold it?" Fili asked, reaching up.

"Thank you," Dwalin said to the man as they walked away. "No, lad, why don't you let me hang on to it." Fili didn't look too concerned about it as he and Kili rushed ahead to go to a toy vendor – Dwalin looked ahead and saw it was a dwarf whom he had met a few months prior, when he moved into their small village with his brother and cousin.

He sped up and gave a small smile when he heard the boys introducing themselves to the smiling dwarf in a strange hat with all the toys.

"Mr Dwalin look!" Kili yelled as he looked back and saw him approaching. He ran back and grabbed Dwalin's hand – well, the only part of Dwalin's hand Kili could get his own tiny one around, namely his finger – and tried to drag him over to the vendor.

"Good afternoon my good sir! How goes it?"

"It goes well, I must apologize, I do not remember your name, though your hat is quite hard to forget," Dwalin chuckled as the other dwarf laughed loudly.

"No need to apologize, Mr Dwalin, my name is Bofur – purveyor of carved toys and wearer of a very strange hat."

"Where did you find such a thing?" Dwalin asked as he picked Kili up off of Fili's back before he could fall and crack his head on the stone road.

"You know, I don't even remember. I think I found it when I was a wee lad. What are you two looking for, laddies?" Bofur turned his attention to Fili and Kili, who both looked as if they had something to say.

"Well. . ." Fili started; suddenly shy in the attention of the new dwarf.

"Go ahead, Fili," Dwalin prompted gently.

"We need a warg for our orc army," he said quietly.

"So the dwarves can kill it!" Kili added, as outgoing and loud with strangers as his brother was shy and quiet. "Do you have one?"

Bofur laughed at the hope in Kili's voice. "Well, you know what, lad? I do!" Bofur turned and went to a trunk Dwalin could see behind the booth. He opened it and rummaged around for a moment before Dwalin heard a loud "aha!" as Bofur stood back up and turned, flourishing the carved and painted warg and placing it on the tabletop in front of them. Bofur laughed at the awed looks on the boys' faces. Dwalin sighed, knowing that it was only a few more seconds before both boys turned and started begging. Bofur had the same idea.

"How much do you want for it?" Dwalin asked, and felt a warmth spread through his belly at the overly excited looks on the boys' faces. _Dis is going to hate me for spoiling these two._

"You know what? Why don't you two take that as a gift – defeat the orcs!" He gave a mock war cry and the boys followed suit, taking the warg and running a few paces away – Fili holding the warg and having it "eat" Kili.

"That is very generous of you," Dwalin said, half turned around so he could keep an eye on the boys.

"Don't mention it! You got to have something to kill!" Dwalin laughed along with him.

"Again, I thank you – in fact, Fili! Kili!" Both boys looked at him, and came back when he gestured. "I know your mother didn't teach you to take a gift without giving thanks."

"Thank you Mr Bofur!" they said in unison, both bowing low. Bofur returned the bow with a chuckle.

"You are very welcome!" The boys took off once again and Dwalin heaved a sigh.

"I'd better go make sure they don't get it in their minds to attack anyone with that toy. Again, I thank you," Dwalin said with a bow of his own that Bofur returned before waving him off.

The next few hours passed quickly, as the boys wanted to see every vendor and his or her wares. One human woman, who was particularly enamored with his young charges, gave them two large cookies. Dwalin wasn't particularly pleased with that, since a dwarf's diet contained nearly zero sugar. Dis would not be happy when she got home and her sons begged her for cookies.

It was about an hour after midday when the clouds Balin predicted rolled in. _Curses_, Dwalin thought unhappily. _I hate it when he's right._ It looked extremely close to starting to pour rain. Dwalin looked ahead and saw the boys walking slowly about a yard in front of him. By the looks of it Fili was using the warg toy to tell his enraptured younger brother a story. Dwalin smiled softly as Fili suddenly tickle-attacked Kili with his hand and the toy; Kili squealed with laughter. Dwalin hated to ruin their fun, but one more glance at the sky convinced him that it was time to head home.

"Boys," he called, and they looked back, both still heaving from their laughter. "It's time to go home."

"No," Kili said calmly. Dwalin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he said, trying not to growl.

"No!" he insisted. Dwalin looked at Fili and his eyes narrowed at the dwarfling who looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

They were on the edge of the market, next to the trees. Dwalin crossed his arms and tried to look every bit the authoritative war-hardened general he was, but Kili didn't care. The tiny dwarf simply crossed his own short arms and glared up at Dwalin.

"Come on Kili, we can play at home," Fili said, looking up at Dwalin as if to say, don't worry, I can handle this.

He couldn't, however, as his brother simply refused him as well. Dwalin's next move was admittedly not well thought out. He took a quick step towards Kili and the dwarfling bolted towards the trees.

Before either Dwalin or Fili knew it Kili was high in a tree. Dwalin's eyes went so wide he thought they'd pop out of his skull. Now he understood what Thorin had meant that day he had arrived at the forge muttering about a "bloody tree-climber."

"Kili get down!" he yelled, fear unwittingly seeping into his voice. Dwarves are meant to be on the ground or under it! Not up in some bloody tree!

"Don't worry Mr Dwalin, Kili's really good at this," Fili said, his voice reassuring.

"Oh so he does this often, does he?" He looked down at Fili as they approached the tree.

"Fili I can see everything!" Kili called down to them as he climbed higher.

"Okay, Kili, that's great! Why don't you come down now?" Fili yelled, and Dwalin looked away from Kili's slowly ascending form to look down at Fili again. A pang of worry went through him at the fear slowly blossoming across Fili's young face.

"Kili come down!" Dwalin yelled, all pretense dropped from his voice.

Kili didn't answer. Dwalin turned back to the market and saw that a few men were looking over at them curiously. _Sod them!_ He turned back to the tree. He couldn't see Kili anymore. He felt a tug on his jacket sleeve and looked down at Fili. His small face was serious.

"Don't worry Mr Dwalin," he said again. "I'll get him." Before Dwalin could process what he meant Fili had shimmied up the trunk of the tree.

"Fili come down!" he roared. Fili didn't answer. Dwalin yelled a curse in khuzdul. _By Mahal these dwarflings are going to be the death of me!_

He couldn't see Fili anymore, but he could see branches shaking – impossibly high up – where he assumed the boys were. Soon, however, he spotted tiny boots. He let out an explosive sigh. "Thank Aulë," he said to himself.

Kili descended quickly, and practically slid to the ground. Dwalin immediately crouched and pulled him into his chest. "Don't do that again, laddie," he said, gripping Kili's upper arms as he pulled back. Kili finally picked up on the seriousness in his voice and nodded, his smile gone.

In his relief to have Kili back on the ground Dwalin didn't notice Fili wasn't yet, not until his small voice yelled out for him.

"Come on Fili, you're almost there!"

"I'm stuck. . ." Dwalin's worry spiked again at the fear in Fili's voice. Dwalin was about to direct Fili to the branch a few inches below his right food, when Fili slid down too far, missing the branch.

Then all too quickly Fili was falling. He only had about six feet to fall, but for a dwarfling who had barely hit two and a half feet it was quite a long way.

Dwalin lunged to catch him, but was too late. Fili hit the ground, falling directly onto his right leg. Dwalin heard the sickening crack as his shin broke when he made impact, and his stomach lurched.

To his credit, Fili didn't scream. Dwalin crouched down next to him and saw his leg bent at an awkward angle. "Oh laddie, no, no lay back down." He gently pushed Fili back down onto his back – he didn't want Fili to see his leg, but sure enough Fili looked at it, saw it bent, and the shock and trauma caught up with him and he fell unconscious.

"Fili?" Dwalin heard a small voice behind him, and turned to see Kili. All traces of his earlier mirth were gone as he stared at his brother's leg. Dwalin wasn't surprised when he burst into tears.

"Kili, it's. . . it's okay," he didn't really know how to reassure the tiny dwarfling. Kili stepped forward and buried his face in Dwalin's side. "Come now laddie, Fili will be okay. Come on, get on my back." Kili reluctantly pulled back and went around to Dwalin's back as he leaned low so he could climb on. _Not that he needs any help climbing. . ._ Once Kili was situated on his back, Dwalin gathered Fili gingerly in his arms. When he turned to start back for the dwarves' village – and to Oin the healer's house, to be more specific – he saw that a few men were still eyeing him. Dwalin growled low, thinking that any other dwarf would have seen a dwarfling injured and insisted they help. _Men just don't understand how important they are to us – they pop a new child out every day!_

Kili's continued tears into the back of Dwalin's neck brought him back, and he pushed men and their breeding habits out of his mind. "Shh, Kili, no need for tears," he said as he walked quickly. It was a mile to Oin's, and he wished to completely it as fast as possible.

They were about halfway there when Fili started stirring. When he opened his eyes he groaned, looking around. His eyes found Dwalin's and Dwalin winched briefly at the look of pain on Fili's face. And sure enough he took a deep shuttering breath and started to cry. Normally Dwalin would tell him to be strong and not cry, but this once, when he thought of how much pain Fili was in, Dwalin decided to simply let him cry.

Of course, as soon as he heard his big brother – the one who was always strong and tough – cry, Kili's tears started afresh. Dwalin picked up his pace, and just under ten minutes later he was knocking on Oin's door with his boot. A moment later the door opened and Oin stood with a smile on his face – one that quickly fell when he saw Fili.

"Well, what have we got here?" he asked, ushering Dwalin inside. Dwalin explained what happened while Oin led them to his small office attached to his house. He gestured for Dwalin to put Fili down on the table that sat in the middle of the room, and Kili climbed down to sit next to his brother's head and hold his hand. Both boys had, thankfully, stopped crying, but Fili still sniffed and whimpered softly every few moments.

Dwalin could tell that he was still in a lot of pain and he felt for the dwarfling.

"Well Fili, my lad, this is a nasty break you've got here." Oin looked down at Fili with a kind smile on his face, and Fili nodded, trying to look brave. "I'm going to have to set it before I can put a brace on it, and he won't be able to walk on it for at least two weeks," Oin said, addressing Dwalin. He nodded, and put a hand on Fili's shoulder at the young dwarf's discontented whine.

"Okay, Fili, I need you to be a brave lad for me, we have to put your bone back where it belongs." Oin went to a cabinet and pulled something out, Dwalin had no idea what it was. "Chew on this, " he said as he handed it to Fili. He looked at Dwalin, who nodded encouragingly. Fili tentatively put it in his mouth and immediately made a face. "Yuck. . ." he said, but to Dwalin's relief he didn't spit it out.

"Dwalin will you hold his shoulders? Yes Kili, you just keep holding his hand. Here Fili, bite down on this." Dwalin moved into position over Fili's head and he smiled, trying to reassure the young one.

"Alright lad, on the count of three – one, two, three," and he carefully and swiftly put Fili's bone back where it belonged. Fili didn't scream, but he did whine at the sensation of his leg being moved. He clenched his jaw and Dwalin didn't fault him for the few tears that rolled down the side of his face into his blond hair. "Very good, lad!" Oin crowed, and Fili opened his eyes and smiled a bit at the praise. As Fili took the rag out of his mouth and stretched his jaw, Dwalin noticed that his eyes were drooping, and after a moment he fell asleep.

"Is he okay?" Kili asked, poking his brother's cheek.

"He's just sleeping, don't worry," Oin answered. He went about splinting Fili's leg, and giving Dwalin instructions. "For the most part, just don't let him try to walk on it, and when Dis and Thorin return tell them the same. Give him some of this to chew on when he complains of pain, and some of this if he cannot sleep," Oin held up two different small pots, full of herbs, Dwalin guessed. He took them and put them in separate pockets.

"Thank you, Oin." Dwalin bowed, and Oin waved it off, inclining his own head.

"Kili, ready to go?" Kili stood and Dwalin turned around and crouched a little so Kili could climb onto his back again. He carefully picked Fili up, supporting his leg, and left Oin's house to head back to the boys' home.

When they reached Dis' house the sun was starting to set. Dwalin grimaced, Balin would be home by now. Dwalin knew his brother would have something to say when he walked in with Fili unconscious in his arms and Kili grouchy on his back.

Sure enough, as soon as he walked through the door, "What did you do?" Balin didn't sound all that surprised, but concern still laced his tone.

"Nothing! He fell out of a tree."

"You let him climb a tree?"

"No! Well. . . yes, but only so he could convince this one!" he grunted as Kili slid off his back and landed on his backside with an 'oof!' "to get down."

"So you let both of them climb a tree?" Balin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I suppose I did," Dwalin said as he took Fili to his room and put him to bed. He pulled off his boots and his shirt and then stopped. Oin had fixed his splint over Fili's pants. _Guess he'll just wear those for a little while. . . _He pulled Fili's blanket up to his chin and murmured "good night" as he pushed his blond hair out of his face.

When he returned to the living room Kili was listening intently to a story Balin was telling, and he took the lad's preoccupation as an excuse for some quiet time, and went to the kitchen to make dinner.

He made beef stew – with Kili's "help", after Balin was done with him, and by the time he was finished Fili was awake.

They heard him call out and Balin went to check on him while Dwalin spooned the stew into four bowls. Dwalin held his and Kili's as Kili insisted on giving Fili his. Dwalin didn't think that Kili really knew what guilt was yet, but he suspected that the lad felt it.

"Hello Fili," he said as they entered the sizeable bedroom. Balin had helped him sit up, and he looked cranky.

"My leg hurts," he pouted.

"Now, now, lad, you have to be strong," Balin said, patting his shoulder. Both of their eyes went wide as Kili started to climb onto the bed with the bowl still in his hands, but when Balin tried to take it so it didn't spill Kili screeched "I've got it!"

"Here you go Fee!" he said happily once he had himself situated. He presented the bowl with a big smile on his face – he hadn't spilled a drop.

"Thank you Kee," Fili said, his bad mood seeming to lift somewhat. Kili settled down to sit next to his brother and Dwalin handed him his own bowl and spoon.

"I'm sorry Fee," Kili said. Dwalin raised his eyebrows and looked at Balin, who had gone to get his own bowl and was sitting on the rocking chair that still rested in the corner of the boys' room. Balin smiled, and Dwalin slid down the wall to sit on the floor to eat his dinner.

"That's okay Kili, just don't climb another tree any time soon – I can't come up and get you 'til my leg is better."

The next day went by quickly and peacefully – well, as peacefully as a day in a forge could be. Dwalin returned home at sunset and they had their dinner in the boys' room with Fili again.

"Why do they only get in trouble when I'm watching them?" Dwalin asked Balin as they sat in the living room smoking their pipes after they wrestled Kili into bed.

"Because they actually like me," Balin replied with a smug smile.

"They like me. . ." Dwalin pulled on his pipe for a little while longer before bidding his brother goodnight lest he fall asleep on the chair again.

The next few days passed quickly for Dwalin in some respects, and slowly in others. With Fili stuck in bed Dwalin and Kili spent most of their time in the boys' room. Dwalin sat in the chair, whittling a figure for the boys as they sat on Fili's bed and played. Sometimes they cajoled him into telling them stories of Thorin.

"Your uncle and I were just as mischievous as you two are when we were young. Once we were caught in a cave-in because we were exploring a new part of the mountain. Oh and we played such tricks on my dear brother." The boys laughed with him as he told increasingly damning stories – not thinking that he was giving them ideas for tricks of their own.

And indeed they conspired quietly towards the end of the second week Balin and Dwalin were watching them. Dwalin had the misfortune to have not seen earlier that day when Balin had carried Fili outside so that he could sit in the sun as Kili ran around. He would forever curse his brother, for Balin had helped the boys collect tree sap. Dwalin had had an especially long day in the forge and had fallen asleep on the armchair in the living room after dinner.

He awoke the next morning and when he went to bathe he found his mohawk – the hairstyle he had been known for since he was in his early thirties – was caked with dried tree sap. He let out a low groan and knew exactly the culprit.

_Alright Dwalin, keep your cool. . . _he thought. But he decided against it and roared his anger. A dwarf's hair is an important part of their culture, and now his was messed with.

He frowned when he heard laughter come from the boys' room. He turned and stomped through the house until he reached their room. Kili was once again sitting on Fili's bed with him, and both were trying to look innocent.

"Alright boys, whose idea was it?" He stood in the doorway, trying to look as imposing as possible, his arms crossed and his face stern. Fili and Kili looked at each other and then at Dwalin and then pointed to each other.

Dwalin's eyes narrowed and he glared for a moment – but after his initial anger faded he realized that he couldn't stay angry with those two. They had wormed their way into his heart – but of course, he didn't have to let them know that.

"Well then, you're both in trouble," he said, raising an eyebrow. Neither flinched, however, and both continued to stare back at him. Fili was smiling, because he knew that he couldn't really be blamed for it as he couldn't walk – Kili was attempting to return Dwalin's glare, his arms crossed over his tiny chest.

"Aye, lad, you're very menacing," he sighed. "What do you lads want for breakfast?"

That day passed uneventfully. Dwalin tried to get the sap out of his thick hair, but found in the end that it was futile. He despaired for a moment when he came to the decision to shave it .

So, with the boys' "help" he shaved off his hair.

He punched Balin when he returned home from the forge. "I know this was your idea, you ass," he growled as Balin laughed even as he was on the floor clutching his nose.

"Aye I'll happily take responsibility and now I've had my revenge fro all those times you played tricks on me when we were wee dwarflings."

The next day was the day that Thorin and Dis were supposed to return, late in the day. Dwalin returned from the forge at sunset to find both boys in the living room with Balin.

"Oin said he is supposed to stay in bed," he told Balin while they both worked in the kitchen to fix dinner.

"He was bored! I see no harm in letting him play in the living room. And Kili's mothering him enough for all of us, so he's alright." Kili had been making sure that Fili was never alone or bored. Dwalin found it quite endearing.

An hour after they finished dinner the boys were still playing in the living room in front of the fire. Fili lay on his stomach so he could easily keep his leg straight behind him, and Fili sat in front of him. Dwalin and Balin occupied the two armchairs.

Suddenly the front door opened and Dwalin looked up from his carving to laugh as Balin jerked awake at the sudden noise.

Dis entered first, and Kili jumped up to run over yelling, "Mama!" Fili pushed himself up on his arms and rolled over and up to a sitting position. Dwalin stood as Dis picked Kili up and looked for Fili. He winced when she spotted him on the ground with the brace on his leg.

"What happened?" she yelled. At that moment Thorin walked through the door and Kili wriggled until Dis put him down so he could greet Thorin.  
"He. . . well he fell out of a tree," Dwalin braced himself for her wrath, and it came swiftly as she launched into a tirade about letting her sons climb trees, for of course she knew that Fili would not have climbed a tree if not for the fact that Kili went up first. When she was done lecturing Dwalin she carefully picked Fili up and hugged him close, glaring at Dwalin. She turned to take him to his room, and Dwalin felt like punching his brother again, for he was chuckling.

Dwalin looked at Thorin, still in the entryway. He was holding Kili and being told all about his fun two weeks with Mr Balin and Mr Dwalin.

"And then we helped Mr Dwalin cut his hair off!" Kili exclaimed, turning in Thorin's arms to point at Dwalin's shaved head. Thorin, noticing it for the first time raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but laugh softly at the look on Dwalin's face.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, let's put tree sap in your hair and see how you look bald," Dwalin grumbled.

"I'm sorry, old friend," he put Kili down and went to grasp forearms with his oldest friend. "It suits you, you look even more menacing now." Dwalin considered it.

"Mm, I suppose you're right. Perhaps I'll tattoo it," he said rubbing the top of his head. Thorin smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for watching my nephews," he said, addressing both of them.

"It was our pleasure!" Balin said, as he left the room to gather his few things and return home.

"How were they?" Thorin asked when it was just him and Balin.  
"They weren't too bad, and they were even better after Fili broke his leg. He was confined and Kili stayed with him." Both laughed softly.

"Thank you again."

"It was my pleasure. Just don't ask me to do it again."

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**I hope you enjoyed this! I was watching the Hobbit and I loved the way Kili greeted Dwalin with a familiar "Mr Dwalin!" and I thought about how their relationship might have been and this is what came of it. If there are any mistakes please let me know, I didn't edit this one as thoroughly has I probably should have. **


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